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The opening ceremony of the biggest sports event in Southeast Asia, the SEA Games, which will officially take place on May 12-23, is expected to present beautiful images of Vietnamese culture and tradition through the performances of thousands of Vietnamese artists.

It will also spread the spirit and message of the SEA Games 31 "For a Stronger Southeast Asia".

In addition to performances of the artists, the event is also expected to impress the audience with light and sound effects created by modern technology.

Promoting Vietnamese culture

According to Trần Đuc Cường, a consultant on the history and culture of the 31st SEA Games and President of the Viet Nam Association of Historical Sciences, the organisation board specifically defined the targets of the opening ceremony before staging it.

“As the host of the event, Viet Nam needs to introduce the ASEAN community and the world to the culture and traditions of the country, and at the same time convey the message of the SEA Games 31: For a stronger Southeast Asia,” he said.

The opening ceremony of the 31st SEA Games will be divided into three parts. The first will showcase Viet Nam, with its own culture and identity, as a friendly nation to all countries. The second will demonstrate the strength of the ASEAN community on the world map, and the third will present the solidarity and friendship between Viet Nam and other ASEAN members in an effort to unite and build a strong regional community.

Cường said he strongly believed in the talent of the programme’s director-general artist Trần Ly Ly and the staging crew.

“They are all young but talented and extremely enthusiastic. I believe that the opening and closing ceremony of the 31st SEA Games will create remarkable performances, leaving a strong impression on audiences," he said.

Currently, over 1,000 artists and art students are divided into two groups for training under the guidance of two top Vietnamese dancers, Kiều Le and Hồng Phong, and 15 other experienced choreographers. Dozens of other specialists and technicians will be engaged in setting up the stages and making costumes and props.

Phong’s group now has 250 artists practising the bamboo and lotus dance to illustrate songs performed at the event.

“Bamboo symbolises strong vitality, solidarity, sustainability and toughness while the lotus is a symbol of purity, innocence and the tolerance of the Vietnamese people, which are the spirit of the SEA Games. They are the selected images through which the Vietnamese people will be introduced,” said Phạm Thanh Tung, group leader and choreographer.

Dancer Linh Nga will perform the lotus flower dance solo, and violinist Bui Cong Duy and artist Liễu Giang will showcase their talents in the song Đường Đến Viet Nam (The Road to Viet Nam), which will also include the images of ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) and conical hats, representing a friendly Viet Nam.

Modern technology

The stage director for the opening ceremony of the 31st SEA Games, Hoang Cong Cường, said: “The power of graphic image projection technology (Mapping) and Augmented Reality – AR, and Extended Reality technology, which are the latest technologies, will be adopted for the performances showcasing the cultural identity of Viet Nam and Southeast Asia in general. There will be a display with the symbols of 40 sports from different countries represented by Vietnamese folk paintings on a graphics slide show.”

Artist Trần Ly Ly, general director of the opening and closing ceremony, revealed that music producer Huy Tuấn, the writer of the theme song of the sports event – Let's Shine – is also the music director of the show. Conveying strong sports solidarity, the song will close the opening ceremony of SEA Game 31 with the performance of many famous performers in the Vietnamese music industry.

“Let's Shine is expected to be a great performance in which famed artists will perform together with the mascot, the symbols of 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups, representatives of 11 Southeast Asian countries, 110 dancers and 250 athletes competing in the Games. With this ending, the production crew hopes to leave a deep impression in the hearts of our international friends,” Ly said.

The SEA Games 31 will officially kick off on May 12 at Mỹ Đình National Stadium and run until May 23.

It will feature 40 sports and 526 events, attracting around 10,000 participants from 11 Southeast Asian countries: Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.  VNS